The School of Medicine of the Universidad Central del Caribe (UCC-SM) is continuing with its commitment to develop strong research capabilities, and to motivate both minority faculty and students to participate in relevant biomedical research. As part of this long-term goal, we are submitting our competitive renewal application for the continuation of our MBRS-SCORE Program. UCC-SM was founded in 1976 as a private non-profit Medical School, and its medical and graduate studies program accredited by local and/or national agencies. Furthermore, we have established consortiums with several neighboring institutions serving a large population of undergraduate and graduate minority students. MBRS SCORE initiative at UCC-SM embraces the mission of the national MBRS Program of "seeking to provide expanded opportunities for underrepresented minorities to choose and participate in biomedical research careers and developing competitive biomedical research scientists who are also ethnic minorities." The specific goals of the MBRS Program at UCC-SM, which are consonant to the goals of the National Program, are: (1) To provide administrative support and necessary environment for operation of the Program and related developmental and evaluation activities. (2) To increase the number of presentations at national and/or specialized meetings by 10 percent each year. (3) To increase the number of peer-reviewed publications by 10 percent each year. (4) To increase the number of faculty submitting proposals to extramural funds by 50 percent by the end of the cycle, with at least 25 percent of our SCORE investigators submitting R-type applications by the end of year 3. The MBRS-SCORE Program at UCC-SM will achieve these objectives, via the continuation and expansion of the following proposed specific activities: (1) faculty initiated scientifically meritorious research and (2) an aggressive developmental program that will provide the necessary support. Finally, following both NIH and Institutional requirements, we are proposing a comprehensive plan for the evaluation of all specific measurable objectives. [unreadable] [unreadable]